The Consequences of Missing Him
by Senna Weasley
Summary: The title has been changed. My thoughts on what should have happened after the first movie. Just a sweet romance between Mulan and the Captain.
1. Missing Him

**_A/N: _**_Re-uploaded to correct spelling mistakes. This story was originally a one-shot, but since a lot of people demanded me to continue, I added two more chapters. Hence the change of title. Since I wrote this story when I was 16 years old, you could say it's a bit fluffy (even if I tried to avoid __unnecessary __sap) and the characters suffer from a slight OC-ness. No major changes have been done, so that it conserves the original feel to it.  
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**Chapter 1: Missing Him.**

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Little Brother went out running to the garden and started chasing after a butterfly. He was so immersed in his chase that he didn't notice the rock that was just before him and ended up crashing violently against it. I shock my head and smiled. He surely wasn't a smart dog, but he was funny.

My eyes turned unconsciously to the street. It had been eight weeks now since the last time I'd seen Shang leave. I wondered what was he doing now.

I sat down everyday by the lake, waiting for him, but he never came. What in the world was retaining him? We had never been so much time apart from each other ever since the day he gave me back my helmet.

Sure, he was General Li now, as his father before him, but it hadn't mattered the first months. He had been visiting the Fa family once two weeks. What had changed now?

I remember the first time we had dinner together. He had been nervous. I guess it probably was because of my father. I knew he admired my father. Ever since we met I had known he thought of my father as a great warrior. He had told me so one million times while training. Ok, so he hadn't told me exactly, he had told Ping, but still, I was Ping, wasn't I? Sometimes this double personality was troublesome.

Ever since the day he joined us for dinner after the war he had been visiting us frequently. I remember how hard he tried to help me and prepare me on my second chance with the Matchmaker. Even though I think his help was useless.

The second experience with the Matchmaker hadn't been better than the first and with her previous experience with me, the Matchmaker had been harder on me than before; but at the end at least she didn't have black ink on her face nor she had gone out of the house screaming.

One thing I knew since I heard the soldiers' talk about girls was that I didn't wanted to get married to a guy just because I was pretty. I wanted to get married with a man who wanted me for my intellect. I hadn't felt defeated after my second try in get married to a man I didn't even know. Not this time: I knew I had honored my family and I knew I was worth something. And if that wasn't enough, I had Shang by my side that day cursing the Matchmaker for rejecting me like that, even though he had a strange tingle on his eyes. I could swear it was of joy.

I heard a horse approaching. I turned to the street. It was not he. It was a neighbor: Deng, the young farmer who had asked my father to marry me some months ago. My father had denied it. I asked my father to do so.

Deng was not my type of man. He reminded me at some extent to Chi-Fu: Deng was always pretending to be a brave man but he was really a coward mouse. Shang had always made his way into scaring the poor guy off his pants. Shang was not very much into nasty jokes, but with Deng he made an exception. Shang hated him.

Shang had been there in good times and in hard ones too. I had received visits from Yao, Ling and Chien-Po but none of them was closer to my family or me than Shang. It had been like he was part of the family, like a new member.

The friendship between Shang and I have been growing in the last year and I must admit that my crush on him has grown too. Even though we are still friends, I can't see my life without him. I would have been nothing without him. China would be history without him. Each time I think of him I admire him more and more.

Where was he now? I would drive myself insane if I didn't see him soon. Maybe I could go look for him.

A second horse approached. I didn't pay any attention. It surely wasn't him. What was on with him lately? Last time I saw him he had felt so cold, so far…

'Mulan?' a familiar voice called me. I turned around.

'Shang!' It was all I could possibly say. He sat down beside me, quietly as he ever does. His helmet on his hand, he hates to wear it because of the feathers. He says he looks ridiculous with a feathered helmet.

'Mulan, I'm sorry,' he said, his voice steady, indicating something was wrong.

'For what?'

'I… I won't be able to visit you anymore.'

'WHAT?' I said loudly. He looked at me sideways and made a slow sly smile. Only I know that smile on him. The rest of the world might know him as "Workaholic Shang" but I've seen his prankster side. That's one of the things I'm glad of.

'You haven't changed,' he smiled

'What happened to you on the last 8 weeks?'

'Oh, I've been… I've been thinking… thinking a lot lately. And I got some extra work to do so I stayed with the Emperor a bit longer. He sends you his best regards. Actually, he was the one who forced me to come.'

'Hey. I know I'm not a very good at hospitality, but I never thought someone had to force you to come,' I joked. He smiled sadly. Something was wrong with him. Something was very wrong with him.

'There are many things lately that are keeping me away from this family. I'll have to choose not to visit you anymore.' he said, this time more honestly.

'You're joking again, aren't you?' I asked smilingly, but my face fell. He wasn't smiling back at me. 'What are you talking about? Are you being serious?'

'As serious as I can' he said looking straight at my eyes. He was. Why was he doing this?

'Why? I mean, what is the problem? Does it has something to do with me?'

'No, it's just… it's just…'

'Then what is it?'

'Ok. I guess you have the right to know. It does have something to do with you,' he looked at his hands and stood up then walked over to his horse.

'Then tell me and I'll help you out. You can't leave us like this.'

'Mulan, I guess you have the right to know that I… I have been in love with you for a long time.' he said, mounting his horse

'I… I didn't have any idea,' I admitted.

'Well, at least… now you know,' he pressed his hand against my cheek for a moment. 'I know you didn't. And I know how you feel,' he said, while mounting back his horse. Before I could reply, he had left at full speed.


	2. Ask and You Shall Receive

**Chapter 2: Ask And You Shall Receive.**

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I descended from my horse. I had been riding away from Mulan's house for hours. It seemed like centuries now.

A year, a whole year I had been coming again and again, but she didn't see more than a friend in me. How could she see anything else?

I was ruining her life; I knew that. The second chance she had with the Matchmaker I distracted her each time she was going to study, telling her that I was going to help her. Then I talked to her about how cruel it was to get married with someone she didn't know. Then, I made a fool of Deng in front of her. I did all that because I was trying to keep her by my side.

I only got the opportunities away from her. I was blocking her from the rest of the world when I knew she couldn't see me as something more than an old army buddy. She deserves more. And even if I had something to offer: whom was I fooling? She'd never love me.

Of course I could do it the traditional way. I could ask Fa Zhou. He would surely accept our marriage. But if Mulan didn't want us to be together… I couldn't allow myself to force her into a marriage she didn't want, she was too valuable to be married by force to a jerk like me.

The wind felt cold against my skin. I didn't pay attention to it. I didn't pay attention to anything. I was thinking about our past. The first time I went after her I knew she was special. I admired her. I felt special about her. After a year getting to know each other, my feelings for her had grown. I've gotten to know the real Mulan, not just Ping. But nonetheless, I would never be able to decode her completely.

I sat down in the grass, beside my horse. I could no longer see my life without her, but I had to. She deserved more than me. I could focus on my work. I could forget about this burning on my chest.

I could still see her eyes and her face as I confessed my feelings. Shocked. Maybe she was horrified with the idea. I remembered how I put my hand on her cheek and gazed at her beauty… The memory brought a new feeling of pain into my heart.

Suddenly, a hand was pressed against my shoulder. I jerked up and turned around: it was Mulan. She had come after me. Khan, her horse was behind her. I was so confused, so afraid and she seemed so calmed. I was jealous. Why couldn't I be that calmed? I was speechless and she was just standing there. Why didn't she say anything?

'Mulan… I… I… I am sorry. I shouldn't have-'

'Run away?'

'-told you that… ever… I just… I don't…' My eyes were on the floor. It was impossible to look at her face.

'Shang, why did you keep that away from me for so long?'

'I'm sorry. I knew I would ruin it all… I don't know what happened to me back there.' I finished lamely.

'Why did you left without waiting for me to talk?'

' I know what's on your mind. I know you'd never accept me. Can't we just forget about this hole thing and…?'

'No. I don't want to forget about it.' She said defiantly. 'I think we should go back and have a nice little chat on the way.'

We mounted. We were heading back. Quietly. Too quietly. I felt like a child that was being reprimanded.

'Do you think you are the only one who is afraid of all this?' She asked abruptly, 'well, for your information, I'm afraid too. I'm as scared and confused as you are. Do you think it was easy for me to go after you?'

'No,' I said, but, for the first time, I considered I could be wrong by judging her opinion even before she gave one.

We went quiet again. This time none of us talked until we dismounted the horses at her horse and sat under the blossom's tree.

'Shang, I think that whatever the fate has prepared for us, we will have to face it together,' she said. I stared. What did she mean by that? Mulan reached out for my hand and squeezed it. My eyes grew in realization and I understood, by just that simple touch what she wanted to say. I smiled at her. Maybe this was the end of something, but also the beginning of something else. And I was quite sure this 'something else' I was going to like.

I was going to like it a lot.


	3. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

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Li Shang approached me. He seemed nervous. He stood in front of me and recited the very first words he ever said to me in hope, I guess, to finish the sentence this time.

'Honourable Fa Zhou' he began 'It has been a pleasure to meet you and your family. You have been very kind to me by offering me your friendship. It has meant a lot to me to spend time here with you and your family. You know I no longer have a father and I thank you for all the help you and your family gave me during the hard times and my re-adjusting to this new life. I am in debt to you... but I ask only for one more favor from you.' He paused for a moment. 'I would like to marry your daughter, Fa Mulan.' Shang looked like a scared rabbit. I smiled inwardly.

'Have you talked to my daughter about this?' I asked him while noticing something moving from outside the room.

'Yes, I have.'

'Well, then I would like to know her opinion about this.' I said. 'Mulan,' I called her, 'stop spying on us from outside the room and step in, please.' My daughter did as she was told. Her face was blushed.

'Yes, father,' she said.

'Would you like to marry this man?'

'Yes! I mean… I mean, yes father.'

'Then why do you ask for my approval if you already have it?' I saw Li Shang and my daughter smiling at each other. Mulan embraced Shang and then embraced me.

'Thank you, father,' she whispered.

'Now be off,' I told them jokingly, 'I suppose you two may have many things you wish to speak now.' They made a reverence and then they went to the garden.

I started pacing through the room, while trying to sort my feelings. I always knew this would happen, so it should feel natural, right? Umn, maybe not too much. In one hand I felt happy for her. In the other hand I felt she was being taken away from me. My only daughter was going to leave me and somehow I felt a bit heartbroken. Why do children have to grow?

I guess I know why she left with the army. She was a woman, but in some ways I raised her like a son. She was very close to me and we enjoyed our time together.

I heard grandma Fa screaming with joy.

At least now she would marry a General, she would honor our family once more. She would live a nice life and be well treated, for I see in the boy's eyes that he loves her. It was about time she started to behave as the woman she is. They are sure to have many children and have a nice average family...

I looked through the window and saw Mulan and Shang in the middle of a fighting practice.

Well, maybe not quite an average family...


End file.
